The Interference
by friendbynote
Summary: Regal Bryant, who you know in Tales as the reserved, strong man, who chained himself to the grief of his lost love, and Alicia, who died at her lover's hand... What had they been in life? RegalAlicia critplz?


**Interference**

Alicia padded down the hallway of her master's mansion. It was quite lavish, and yet, tastefully modest. The walls were made of a dark wood, smooth and impeccable, lined with painting and portraits. Many of them depicted detailed scenes of the outdoors.

Here was where she served. It was, in a way, her prison, even if she did not see it as such. She had come to work in the home of the aptly named Master Regal a long time ago to support her sister, and sustain her father's declining condition. However, upon arriving, quiet as a church mouse, she discovered much more than she had bargained for.

Perhaps it was a cliche, or maybe even a taboo, to have the type of relationship Alicia and her master had developed. Master and servant was what they were to the public.

However, the moment they entered the confines of an empty room, covering for their decency, conversation flowed and affections were made apparent. They had done nothing impure, something that naturally frustrated them both, but they had promised one another that scandal would not touch them until the time was right.

Alicia had wondered when the "right" time would be. When it would be; how it would be. More often than not, she had caught her innocent fantasies, Regal finally kissing her in front of others, running away with her better-judgment. Which is to say, more often than not, she had imagined the simple pleasures elevating to those of a more intimate nature. Regal would lay with her on his lavish bed, and tenderly plant kisses on her lips, and move on, tender still, to peck her forehead, and move down, down...

Always with a blush she would chase the thoughts irritably from her mind. It was inappropriate, even what they had as of then, although it wasn't much in terms of contact. But it was of her own choice, even if it was hard to stand by when they were caught in the moment. He had never seen an inch more of her flesh than the next man had, and they had promised each other - a promise; a sacred, respectable thing - that it would remain as such.

She was innocent as it was. They had shared sweet kisses, and more intense ones, the latter being more rare of the two for fear of them both losing control. But their love was something delicate at that time, a bud waiting hopefully, anxiously, to bloom. A pretty love.

Finally, she reached the lounge, an altogether modest room; simplicity at its finest. The carpet, gentle on her feet as she removed her shoes, was a soft shade of violet, the edges adorned with elegant, gold-colored patterns along the edges, that burst into a complicated elegance in the four corners.

All of the furniture, even if not numerous, was a pure white tainted with just a little bit of tasteful cream. Despite the lack scant amount of furniture, with there being only the bare necessities of a lounge - that being two long couches, and a pretty, glass-topped, cherry wood-crafted tea tables - it seemed to grow in hospitality as people occupied it.

Even though she could not see her dear master, she knew he would be seated in the plushy, milk-colored long-couch facing away from the door. The couches were more like places to lie, as they only had an arm rest on one side, the other end of the couch dropping down smoothly at a curve. It was a little taller than your average man, allowing for comfort.

That was how it had always been when he had beckoned to her, and she shivered with delight when her mind began to race. Quickly, however, as she felt herself growing far too excited, she straightened out and shut the door behind her, pushing her shoes under the caddy in the corner. Regal had established that any visitors were to go about the lounge shoeless, simply because of the expense of the carpet.

She decided to begin their little game, and pulled the duster from her apron, beginning to tidy the room around her. She began with a vase that sat on a rich brown end table adjacent to the door that, she knew, exceeded anything material she could ever dream of owning. But she had grown used to weaving in and out of things that would outsell everything she owned. Nervousness, shrinking back in fear as she dusted and polished, Regal had told her, wasn't becoming, and she had done well to heed his suggestion.

"Alicia?" Regal's voice inquired. A grin spread over her face, and she tilted the vase on its side to let him know it was she. She did not look back to watch him rise from the couch and walk over to her quietly. "Alicia," he repeated fondly, coming up behind her and closing his hand over the duster. She relished the fact that her knees still buckled whenever he embraced her. He tugged the feathered appendage from her hands and set it delicately on the end table, but his fingers lingered on her own and his chin easily rested upon the top of her head.

"Master Regal," she responded warmly, tipping her head up to smile at him. He moved his arms to circle around her waist, and she rolled her neck to rest on the hallow of his shoulder. "You called me, if I am not mistaken."

Regal hesitated playfully. "That's right," he replied. "I believe I did."

She bumped her head against his chest gently and broke free of his embrace to bounce to the long couch that faced away from the door and perched herself in the middle. "What was it you wanted?" she asked.

Regal smiled, playing along. "I can't seem to remember." He closed the distance between them, coming to sit next to his servant. He leaned back into the couch, propping his arm against the back. Alicia followed suit contentedly, resting herself on his chest. "Perhaps you should keep me company until I remember." She closed her eyes, a peaceful, satisfied look spreading onto her countenance. Regal cocked his head to look down at her, and she moved her head back to repose against his neck. His gentle fingers touched her chin, and she looked at him.

"Yes?" she whispered knowingly. His lips pressed softly to hers, and she smiled into the gentleness of the kiss. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze before he leaned away. She frowned, ever so slightly, and in jest, and he glanced at her with admiration in his eyes. Taking it upon herself, as she rarely did, to seize the moment, she pushed forward and locked onto his mouth, hungrier than she had intended.

He returned it with equal fervor, resting his other arm beneath her chin as the slumped back to lie on the couch. Alicia's head was propped on the arm rest, Regal on top of her. They remained as such, with such a needy vibe running between them both, with Alicia's hand entangled in her master's rich hair, her other arm draped around his neck, pulling him closer, and Regal's hands around his servant's waist and behind supporting her head. She shuddered when hands began to wander, and it was not just her or just Regal. It was both of them, searching for something more.

She shuddered as Regal's hand wandered to the hem of her shirt bottom and slipped inside. He hesitated. They both broke their kiss to search each other's flustered face, and Regal scowled and moved off of her to straighten his jacket and smooth out his pants.

"Regal." Alicia remained on the couch, only propping herself up on her elbows to look up at him. "It's okay," she assured him, sitting up properly to touch his arm softly.

However, she couldn't stifle the amazement, the wonder, the ecstasy. Even though it was a marginal advance, one that she thought somewhere, ended far too soon, it was exciting. The blush in her cheeks continued to burn. "I'm sorry," he said simply, and she rose silently to embrace him from behind.

They remained as such for a long time, the excitement fading into their pure likeness.

_And now,_ she thought, _we are innocent once more._

**Author's Notes: **So, did you like it? :) PLEASE critique it, or just comment it. Reviews make me flourish under my own oppressive criticism, even if it is harsh (so long as it's constructive), or simply just telling me that you liked it.

I'd prefer you didn't, but I have left up the OLDOLDOLD version. Needless to say, I'm ashamed of it. Harhar. But you can read it if you can bear the horrid grammar, the atrocious spelling, and the limited vocabulary I had... not so long ago (It is even quite amazing.).

Thanks for reading. Please goad me on to finish, I began this rewrite on a whim, and had fun with this chapter. I am also rather proud, since it is my first "mature" and "imprudent" writing. Plot advances will, naturally, be taking place next chapter. This was simply an extensive introduction meant to be cute and let you in on how I interpreted Regal and Alicia to have been.

Adieu~


End file.
